The Sandman

"I am every bit the monster they perceive me to be."

Writer: Simon A. Forward

Format: Audio

Released: October 2002

Series: Main Range 37

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Evelyn

Synopsis 

The Clutch is a fleet in constant motion, ships jostling for position, in an endless migration between the stars. For the Galyari, forbidden by an ancient curse from settling on a world ever again, the Clutch is home. But the curse travels with them...

The Sandman, a figure of myth and folk-lore, preys on the young and old alike. He lurks in the shadows and it is death to look upon him.

All too soon after the TARDIS arrives, it is evident that the Doctor and the Galyari share a dark history, and Evelyn is shocked to discover that, on the Clutch, it is her friend who is the monster.

The Sandman, according to the tales, also goes by the name of the Doctor...

Verdict 

The Sandman was a very good audio adventure and I think slowly but surely over my well deserved summer break and getting into the swing of things in regard to these audios. I remain hopeful that I can push along the Main Range relatively quickly and hopefully catch up with the current releases before too long. That's going to require some effort though and with myself all set for university at the end of September, I'm not sure where I'll find the time once moving out. But we'll see what the future holds. In this story however it was centred on many of the Doctor's past actions. I was intrigued by the start of the audio and the reasoning for the Doctor choosing this place as the destination for their visit. I thought it was quite humorous that it was revealed the Doctor actually had intended to park the TARDIS outside rather than inside. Would the TARDIS ever do as he intended? It doesn't appear so! It seemed a while since I had listened to an audio adventure with Evelyn as the companion and in her past outings I've been open in saying that I didn't consider myself to be too much of a fan. I prefer the more stereotypical companion of the young good looking female. Evelyn does not match that criteria at all! Don't get me wrong, I'm in favour of audio exclusive companions as I absolutely adore Charley, but I just haven't taken a shining to Evelyn. Until this story though. I thought this was her best audio yet! She didn't have an overly expansive role and maybe that's why I liked her so much here. She was critical of there being too much running with the Doctor which is of course true, but she just seemed to fit into the plot magnificently. I thought it was wonderful to hear Anneke Wills in a Doctor Who story once again! Obviously she wasn't playing Polly, though a return of one of my all time favourite companions would have been astounding, I thought it was lovely that she was back doing Doctor Who. Nintaru was a really intriguing character though I remain surprised that the character was male! I couldn't quite grasp my head around that. The Doctor being known amongst the Galyari was intriguing, especially when he claimed to be the Sandman! Evelyn wasn't impressed. I really liked the first part cliffhanger but I must say the resolution was awful. I hadn't started overly liking Evelyn by that point. Thankfully she made up for it. The use of narration by the Sixth Doctor was intriguing to describe his past visit to the planet, though I still remain confused by the fact this story got a reference in The Rapture. It's not exactly anything much significant. I thought the guest cast were decent with Mordecan and Shol standing out as personal favourites. I love how the Sixth Doctor's coat actually helped out and was for a time being the centre of the story. It wasn't quite like The Doctor's Coat but I loved the fact that due it its splurge of colour and pattern the Galyari couldn't bare to look at the Doctor! Ha! The climax was good, it could have been a bit more pact but overall this was another very good audio adventure! 

Rating: 8/10